Thursday, August 25, 2016

VOL. 127, ISSUE 3

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

KICKING OFF THE FALL SEASON see SOCCER, page 4

CHARLOTTE BEMISS | THE CAVLIER DAILY

WHAT’S INSIDE CLEM 2 STILL OFF-LIMITS PAGE 2

HOSPITAL RENOVATIONS UNDERWAY PAGE 3

MENDENHALL PICKS STARTING QB PAGE 5

LEAD EDITORIAL: WORK HARD, PLAY HARD? PAGE 6

LOSING YOUR MEMORY IN COLLEGE PAGE 11

THE CAVALIER DAILY

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Clemons second floor remodel still in progress Advancements in advising opportunities being brought to library next fall MARK FELICE | ASSOCIATE EDITOR The remodeling of Clemons Library’s second floor — which started last spring as part of President Teresa Sullivan’s Cornerstone Plan — is currently under renovations to be completed next fall.

Clem 2 is making a change from the crowded, noisy floor it used to be to a space allowing students to have more access to student advising.

“The Cornerstone Plan identifies integrating students’ academic advising, career advising and personal development — known as Total Advising — as an important area of focus,” Archie Holmes, vice provost for educational innovation and interdisciplinary studies, said in an email statement. “The provost’s office has been working with students and service providers over the last two years to better understand student needs and how best to present these services.”

Student input and research found Clemons to be one of the

best places to accomplish the goals that students desired for their academic spaces, Holmes said.

“Students have shared their preference that academic, career, extra-/co-curricular and financial services be offered in one location on Central Grounds,” Holmes said. “Clemons was identified as a space to support this.”

Student Council was one of the main groups involved with gathering student input for the basis of the library renovations.

“In addition to the workshops and outreach to a variety of students … Student Council members served on the steering committee for the project,” Holmes said. “We also made regular presentation presentations to Student Council.”

The reconstruction will still include much of the seating and study spaces which were afforded to students in the old second floor, but will now include additional spaces for advising with

RICHARD DIZON | CAVALIER DAILY

While the second floor of Clemons will have advising space, there will still be room for students to study and collaborate.

academics, careers and finances.

“During several workshops with faculty and outreach to students over the past two years, we found that students were not always aware of all of the servic-

es available to them and wanted personal connections with a variety of ‘experts’ to empower them to make the best of the University’s offerings during their time on Grounds,” Holmes said.

Holmes also said the renovation will include the addition of rooms and offices, which students will be able to reserve when they are not being used.

McAuliffe restores voting rights to 13,000 felons Response comes after state Supreme Court says rights must be renewed individually ANKITA SATPATHY| ASSOCIATE EDITOR

MARSHALL BRONFIN | CAVALIER DAILY

McAuliffe attempted to restore the voting rights of over 200,000 felons in April 2016, but the move was deemed an unconstitutional suspension of law by the state Supreme Court.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced Monday he and his staff have started the process of individually restoring voting rights to felons across Virginia.

McAuliffe originally restored voting rights to all felons via executive order in April, but the Virginia Supreme Court struck down the order in July in a 4-3 decision. The court’s opinion referred to the order as as “unconstitutional suspension of law.”

The court also stated that while the Virginia constitution prohibits the governor from restoring voting rights to an entire class of people, he could do so individually. Thus far, McAuliffe has restored rights to the 13,000 people who registered to vote before the court’s decision was released.

“The process I have announced today fully complies with the Virginia Supreme Court’s order and the precedent of governors before me,” McAuliffe said in a statement released Monday. “It also reflects the clear authority the governor possesses to use his own discre-

tion to restore rights of people who have served their time.”

Though McAuliffe had originally hoped to restore rights to the 13,000 individuals already registered to vote within a week of the court’s decision, the process of individually restoring each person’s voting rights took longer than his staff had originally anticipated it would. These people will need to re-register to vote.

“Restoring the rights of Virginians who have served their time and live, work and pay taxes in our communities is one of the pressing civil rights issues of our day,” McAuliffe said in a statement. “I have met these men and women and know how sincerely they want to contribute to our society as full citizens again.”

Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Bill Howell (R-Stafford) was one of the petitioners who initiated the court case.

“I am stunned yet not at all surprised by the governor’s action,” Howell said in a statement released in April. “I am stunned

at his broad and unprecedented view of executive power, which directly contradicts how past governors have interpreted their clemency powers.”

Howell and other Republicans have expressed concern over McAuliffe’s motives, some claiming these felons are more likely to vote for Democrats, which could affect the 2016 presidential election. Howell also stated the policy applies to rapists, murderers and other individuals who have committed heinous crimes, and that he did not believe McAuliffe was using any discretion in this decision.

According to a memo released by McAuliffe’s office Monday, there are still approximately 193,000 former felons to whom McAuliffe and his staff hope to afford the chance to vote. It is unclear how many of these people will have their rights restored in time to vote in the general election this November.

www.cavalierdaily.com • NEWS

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

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U.Va. Medical Center under construction Expansion expected to be completed in 2019 DAVID SCHUTTE | ASSOCIATE EDITOR For the first time in 15 years, the University’s Medical Center is undergoing renovation.

The renovation, which began the second week of June, aims to improve the experience of hospital patients by expanding facilities to give individual patients more room.

University Medical Center CEO Pamela Sutton-Wallace said making sure patients are comfortable was a priority for herself and the Board of Visitors, which approved the project in March 2015.

“Fundamentally, and most importantly, this is about improving our patients’ experience,” Sutton-Wallace said.

“This allows U.Va. Medical Center to care for patients who want to be cared for here who aren’t able to access care quickly easily and efficiently.”

The expansion has two primary components, the first involving the expansion of the

emergency department, providing distinct areas for the medical center’s pediatrics, observational areas and psychiatric mental-health needs.

Sutton-Wallace said these facilities are especially important given the needs of the community over the last few years.

The second component involves the expansion and renovation of the interventional platform, where medical procedures are performed.

“Whether you’re getting your procedures through our interventional radiology, whether you’re getting one of our cardiac procedures or electric physiology where you get a heart ablation, it expands that platform to provide more recovery space,” Sutton-Wallace said.

Additionally, six floors will be constructed above the interventional platform.

Eric Swensen, the medical center’s public information of-

ficer, said three of those floors will not serve an immediate purpose.

“I think it’s fair to say that they’re reserved for whatever our future needs may be,” Swensen said. “We’ll just build the floors and have them available for whatever we may need in the future.”

The medical center is located on one of the last major land parcels close to the University, and expansion will become increasingly expensive and disruptive.

“We will also have a level under the ED for expanding our infrastructure, like our equipment storage and sterile processing areas,” Sutton-Wallace said.

Approximately 50 percent of the medical center’s inpatient beds are semi-private, meaning patients share these rooms.

The improvement of hospital infrastructure will allow for CELINA HU | CAVALIER DAILY

The emergency room is being expanded with the goal of providing more private rooms for patients.

CELINA HU | CAVALIER DAILY

The expansion plans were approved by the Board of Visitors in March 2015.

the privatization of rooms and increased space per patient, a project Sutton-Wallace calls a “patient satisfier.”

“Any given day, we have 30 beds closed because we don’t want patients to have to share a room,” Sutton-Wallace said. “It could be closed because a patient needs to be in isolation, because the patient has too much equipment in their room, or because the genders don’t match.”

An average of 60 patients are unable to be transferred to the University hospital because of bed unavailability, according to medical center data.

This expansion will also alleviate the pressure on current operating rooms by adding four new ones. Sutton-Wallace said the medical center is in “desperate need” for new rooms.

“We are projecting that the emergency department and procedural space are estimated for completion in early summer of 2019, and then the bed tower is projected to be completed by the end of 2019,” Swensen said.

The project is also projected to introduce $60 million into the local economy, as well as create new construct jobs. The Medical Center will begin recruiting for new nursing position a year before the completion of the expansion.

The project will cost approximately $394 million in total, and is funded by bonds and medical center capital.

THE CAVALIER DAILY

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No. 4 Cavaliers host Michigan State Thursday HUNTER OSTAD | ASSOCIATE EDITOR

CELINA HU | CAVALIER DAILY

The upcoming weekend’s results will likely solidify the team’s starting 11 for the season.

The fourth-ranked Virginia women’s soccer team (2-0-0) is set to host the first of two home games this weekend at Klöckner Stadium against the Michigan State Spartans (1-0-1) Thursday at 7 p.m.

As coach Steve Swanson looks to solidify his starting 11, this match represents a good test of ability against unfamiliar competition. In fact, these two teams have only met on the pitch twice prior to the pending game Thursday.

As an undefeated team — one win and one tie — the Spartans appear to represent the Cavaliers’ greatest competition to date and ought to be a good measuring stick for Swanson to effectively evaluate his team’s

ability at this early stage of the season.

With a very well-balanced team, the Cavaliers can score goals from any position. In fact, through the first two games of the season, the Cavaliers have scored six times, each by a different player.

Virginia will hope to continue its trend of shutting out opponents and expand upon senior goalkeeper Morgan Stearns’s now program record-setting win mark of 56.

If they can continue getting all their players involved and are able to find the back of the net with players throughout the lineup, the outlook appears promising for the Cavaliers going forward.

Men’s soccer starts season with Coastal Carolina matchup RAHUL SHAH | ASSOCIATE EDITOR After a long offseason, the No. 17 Virginia men’s soccer team is back, with their season set to kick off this Friday night against No. 21 Coastal Carolina.

The Cavaliers wrapped up a three-game preseason last Saturday with a 2-0 win over No. 10 Georgetown. That victory wrapped up a successful exhibition season for Virginia, as they went undefeated, with wins against Longwood and Liberty in addition to their win over the Hoyas.

The Cavaliers hope that a strong preseason performance carries into the regular season, as they look to recapture the glory that defined their 2014 season when they won the National Championship.

With the conclusion of the preseason, head coach George Gelnovatch liked what he had seen from his team throughout the threegame stretch, citing the strides the team had made.

“If you’re winning your games, that’s progress,” Gelnovatch said.

“We’re scoring goals and creating chances and not giving up a ton of opportunities, so that’s pretty good progress.”

Gelnovatch liked that the team was getting at opponents and noticed the progress the players were making in relation to this aspect of their game.

“And a certain way of how we want to get at teams and I think, that was, in all three games, we’ve managed to do some of those

things,” Gelnovatch said. “And a certain way when the ball turns over, whether it’s pressing a team or whether it’s absorbing a little bit of pressure so we’ve done all of those things, we’ve gotten better at all those things, so yes, we made progress.”

Though there may have been cause for concern in the first half of their match against Georgetown, due to the Hoyas’ fast start and ball-dominating first half, the Cavaliers showcased their resiliency by hanging around and playing tough defense, not allowing Georgetown to score.

“We feel like the tempo and pace and energy at which [Georgetown] played at in the first half was excellent, I mean phenomenal, but I was pretty sure they couldn’t keep it up either, so I think we kind of weathered the storm in the first half a little bit,” Gelnovatch said.

“The second half I think we just started to take over a little bit because we weathered the storm.”

After their strong preseason, the team is confident about their chances of having a strong season.

“I think it’s been a really good preseason, so spirits are high,” senior midfielder Paddy Foss said after the win against Georgetown.

“Team chemistry has been awesome, and we’re scoring goals, so I think everything is possible.”

There is a positive energy surrounding the team and the Cavaliers hope they can kick off the sea-

son the way that they want, with a win against the Chanticleers at Klöckner Stadium.

“Everything is positive going into the opener,” Foss said. “Hopefully we’ll have a big crowd out here at Klöckner, and it’ll be a big night.”

With six days off between their final preseason match and their season opener, the Cavaliers knew that, despite their strong level of play over the past few weeks, they could not stop trying to improve.

Foss mentioned the importance not only of improving aspects of their game, but also starting to prepare for a long season that necessitates readiness and focus week in and week out.

“I think it’s a little bit of both,” Foss said. “We obviously need to focus and lock in and get the little things right going into the season, but I think it’s really about meshing. We got a lot of new guys in the starting lineup; it’s a pretty new team, young team, but it’s all been positive so I think this week especially it’s about gelling as a team and getting that continuity so that when we step on the field Friday night everything is going to be flawless.”

The Cavaliers’ home opener will kick off at 7 p.m. and will be the start of a two-game home stand for the Cavaliers before they head out of Charlottesville for their next two.

SARAH DODGE | CAVALIER DAILY

Senior Paddy Foss said he was confident in his team after a successful preseason.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

www.cavalierdaily.com • SPORTS

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Mendenhall names starting quarterback MARIEL MESSIER | SENIOR ASSOCIATE EDITOR

V

irginia coach Bronco Mendenhall has announced Virginia’s 10th starting quarterback in the last 11 years.

Junior Kurt Benkert was officially given the starting position Wednesday morning, just 10 days before the Cavaliers open their season against Richmond.

Benkert, who transferred from East Carolina after suffering a

W

hen then-junior Virginia quarterback Matt Johns threw for six touchdowns in the first three games of last season, I became convinced he would be the person to finally lead Virginia back to a winning season.

In fact, I was so confident in his ability that when Virginia played Boise State in week four, I bet my skeptical friend three dollars that Johns would lead the team down the field for a touchdown on the first drive.

Long story short: Johns threw a pick-six on the offense’s first play, shattering my faith in him and losing me three dollars in a matter of seconds. Unfortunately, that opening play served as an omen for Johns’s play for the rest of the year.

Johns ended up throwing at least one interception in seven of the last eight games of the season. His performance against North Carolina highlighted the egregious stretch of play, as he committed five turnovers, four interceptions and one fumble, all in the second half. In three of those eight games, he threw for under 200 yards, and only once did he throw for over 300. Johns ended the season with just three fewer interceptions than touchdowns — 17 and 20, respectively.

To say the least, by season’s end I was not the biggest Matt

season-ending injury in 2015, has been named as a starter before. Before tearing his ACL during fall camp, he was named the starting quarterback for the Pirates under now-Virginia assistant coach Ruffin McNeill.

The Florida native is already accustomed to the air raid offensive scheme. Benkert is a mobile quarterback who fits the bill for

Mendenhall’s offense as a dual-threat quarterback. He has two years of eligibility remaining at Virginia.

After redshirting in the 2013 season, Benkert played in three games in 2014 at East Carolina.

In those three games, he scored two rushing touchdowns and completed 8-of-10 passes for 58 yards.

Senior classmates Matt Johns and Connor Brewer will be competing for the backup quarterback spot throughout the season. Benkert replaces Johns, who started for the Cavaliers in 2015 and recorded 2,810 passing yards in the regular season, the third highest total in the ACC. Brewer held the back up position in 2015 behind Johns after

graduating from Arizona and coming to Virginia. He appeared in two games — going 4-for-8 against Boise State and handing the ball off for a 15-yard play against Miami.

Benkert will take a snap at Scott Stadium for the first time Sept. 3 in the Cavaliers’ season opener against Richmond.

BANK ON BANKERT

COURTESY VIRGINIA ATHLETICS

Kurt Benkert will leawwd the Cavaliers as their newly-chosen quarterback this season.

Johns fan. However, Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall gave Virginia fans hope this week by announcing a new signal-caller for the 2016 season: junior Kurt Benkert. Benkert, a transfer from East Carolina University, joined a crowded quarterback competition in May, with senior Connor Brewer already challenging Johns for the starting spot.

Mendenhall has articulated a

desire to change the football culture at Virginia, emphasizing to his players that everything must be earned, thus making it abundantly clear that the victor of the competition would be the person who put in the most effort.

Here is where Benkert excelled. Coming in as a relative unknown who only played three games in 2014 and missed the 2015 season due to a torn ACL in the preseason, Benkert put in the effort and time to improve and gain the starting spot.

“He is a student of the game,” Mendenhall said. “From the minute he arrived on campus, [he arrived at the office] 7 a.m. each and every day much like a professional.”

Along with his work ethic, something that caught the coaches’ attention was Benkert’s ability to move around in the pocket and scramble. In part due to his immobility, Johns was sacked 21 times last season — the fifth highest mark in the ACC. In contrast, Benkert will be able to use his agility to extend plays. This dynamic threat has the potential to lead to more explosive plays as well as longer drives that can give the defense a needed rest — something that eluded them last season. “[Benkert] has been the one that I think … [can] be consistent in terms of moving our

team forward,” Mendenhall said.

“When I look at a quarterback, I look first and foremost at them [moving the team down the field] because points determine outcome.”

In addition to his running prowess, the ECU transfer also has impressive arm strength. As a dual threat, Benkert will keep opposing defenses on their toes, giving the Virginia offense a dimension of unpredictability that is has lacked in years past.

Also, by bolstering the team’s aerial attack, Benkert will help Virginia regain something it desperately needed last season: a ground game. In 2015, then-junior running back Taquan Mizzell ran for only 671 yards and four touchdowns. Considering Mizzell’s athleticism, these numbers had the potential to be much higher. This year, with Benkert moving the ball through the air, the explosive running back is primed for the best season of his college career, and has already been placed on the Maxwell Award Watch List.

Most importantly, Benkert possesses the mental toughness that Johns lacked. On too many occasions last season, Virginia fans became excited about a potential comeback only to have Johns throw away the game with a careless error. With his proven dedication and work ethic,

Benkert has the necessary traits to stay focused, internalize the pressure and come through in the clutch in tight late-game situations.

For the past four seasons, Virginia has been unable to crack the national Top 80 in offensive efficiency. The Cavaliers were under .500 in all of those seasons and had a different quarterback at the helm each year.

In Benkert, Virginia has the potential for a viable quarterback to stabilize the position for two seasons and act as a model for Mendenhall’s message of working hard to earn success.

Just as the arrival of Mendenhall added a great deal of excitement to the 2016 Virginia football season, so too does the naming of Benkert as a starter. Bank on him to lead Virginia back to a winning season.

BEN TOBIN is a weekly sports columnist for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at bjt5ed@ virginia.edu or on Twitter at @ TobinBen.

THE CAVALIER DAILY

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COMMENT OF THE DAY “I agree with you about doctors, lawyers and scientists. However, when it comes to journalists, the only ‘expertise’ they exhibit is peddling propaganda” “rufus” in response to Ben Yahnian’s Aug. 24 article, “Experts are experts for a reason”

LEAD EDITORIAL

Are we still a party school?

Block Party gives the University an opportunity to consider its identity A Virginia Magazine article titled “1982: The Rise and Fall of Easters” tells a brief history of revelry at the University. It states Easters festivities began as innocent late 19th century formal dances, with students “[pledging] that they would not attend the evening’s dance if they’d had a drink of alcohol after noon of that day.”

These social functions grew in size over the next hundred years. In 1939, students voted to give up their week of spring vacation, which coincided with Easters, so that they would not miss “the most enjoyable part of the year.” Historian Virginius Dabney would later describe the Easters weekends during the

1970s as celebrations in which “students and their dates wallowed about in mudholes, swilling grain alcohol drinks from large fruit juice cans.”

Since then-Dean of Students Robert Canevari called for an end to Easters in the fall of 1982, the University has struggled with its identity as a party school. Media sources such as Playboy Magazine, which ranked the University as the nation’s number one party school four years ago, and Rolling Stone, which published an erroneous and sensational account of a fraternity party sexual assault, have pushed the narrative that the University remains a party school.

Meanwhile, the administration has fought to emphasize that its educational offerings are superior to its social scene. In response to the Playboy rankings, the University responded with a statement that it is “far more important” for the university to be recognized for its academic qualities and the strength of its financial aid program.

And following concerns about the potential for sexual assault at this year’s Block Party — an unsanctioned bacchanal which took place on Wertland Street last Saturday — the administration ramped up its alternative programming events by including a J. Cole concert that same night. With this in mind, we

have to ask ourselves, do we still want to be a party school?

On one hand, we have held on to our party school identity. More than a third of undergraduates still belong to Greek organizations. While pressure from national sororities dampened the Boy’s Bid Night last year, students still celebrated, though the parties were diffused over multiple weekends instead of a single night. And securing a big-name rapper to perform at a concert isn’t exactly out of character for a party school. On the other hand, the numbers from this year’s Block Party may suggest a trend away from our party school identity: an estimated 4,000 students at-

tended Block Party, a significant decrease from last year’s 6,000.

There continues to be an active place for those who want to revel on the weekends, and the administration is taking real, if insufficient, steps to create a safer environment for students.

But Block Party is just one night — safety risks don’t disappear after the first weekend before classes. If the University wants to maintain the brand of a “work hard, play hard” school, while working toward a high standard of safety throughout the year, we have a long way to go.

THE CAVALIER DAILY THE CAVALIER DAILY The Cavalier Daily is a financially and editorially independent news organization staffed and managed entirely by students of the University of Virginia.

The opinions expressed in The Cavalier Daily are not necessarily those of the students, faculty, staff or administration of the University of Virginia. Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of the editorial board. Cartoons and columns represent the views of the authors. The managing board of The Cavalier Daily has sole authority over and responsibility for all content.

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MANAGING BOARD Editor-in-Chief Dani Bernstein Managing Editor Kayla Eanes Executive Editor Nazar Aljassar Operations Manager Jasmine Oo Chief Financial Officer Lianne Provenzano EDITORIAL BOARD Dani Bernstein Nazar Aljassar Ella Shoup Gray Whisnant Carlos Lopez JUNIOR BOARD Assistant Managing Editors Jane Diamond Michael Reingold (SA) Evan Davis (SA) Lillian Gaertner (SA) Trent Lefkowitz (SA) Ben Tobin (SA) Carrie West

News Editors Tim Dodson Hannah Hall Sports Editors Robert Elder Jacob Hochberger (SA) Grant Gossage (SA) Mariel Messier Opinion Editors Gray Whisnant Hasan Khan (SA) Matt Winesett Humor Editors Patrick Thedinga (SA) Nancy-Wren Bradshaw Focus Editor Allie Jensen Life Editors Kristin Murtha Margaret Msaon Arts & Entertainment Editors Candace Carter Noah Zeidman (SA) Sam Henson (SA) Ben Hitchcock (SA) Flo Overfelt

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

www.cavalierdaily.com • OPINION

7

THE ADMINISTRATION MISLED WITH THE J. COLE CONCERT

T

he excitement of a new year at the University culminates in an annual, unsanctioned event called “Block Party,” which occurs the Saturday prior to the start of classes. By the very nature of the event, it attracts large amounts of underage drinkers, many of whom have never before consumed alcohol. In many ways, these circumstances are a recipe for disaster, and as a result, the University administration has issued many warnings aimed at deterring students from attending the event, especially in light of a sexual assault that allegedly occurred at the event just last year. Anticipating that college students might not take such warnings as seriously as they ought to, the administration sought to deter students from attending Block Party by having renowned hip-hop artist J. Cole perform at the same time. Still, it is likely the concert will do more harm than good in the long run.

My primary concern regards the timing of the event. According to the University website, the concert was to start at 9 p.m. Of course, just like with any other

The official Block Party alternative was worthwhile — but the marketing was deceptive

concert, there is an opening act preceding the headline artist. Yet, the opening act lasted longer than J. Cole’s act, and that is problematic. J. Cole, the man thousands of students had anxiously awaited to watch, did not come on stage until

of the event earlier than it had to be, simply to keep students off of Wertland Street. Certainly, there is a good chance this was not intentional, yet it nevertheless allows for the disheartened feeling that we were misguided.

The consequence of misleading students in this way... erodes the trust that binds conflicting factions of the University together.”

10:42 p.m., nearly two hours after the start time of the show, and he was off the stage before break of midnight. Thus during this time, students grew antsy and I personally saw many depart the concert altogether around 10:30 p.m.

The fact that it took nearly two hours for the main performer to take the stage gave me and many of my friends who attended the impression that the event organizers intentionally made the time

I and all who attended the concert had a great time and enjoyed it thoroughly. However, I feel the impact of misinforming the student body about the timing of the event might hinder the credibility of the administration if they try to take a similar approach in years to come.

Although the John Paul Jones Arena website does imply there would be two opening acts, word travels quickly amongst students, so it is not unfathomable that students

next year will hear that going to the concert “isn’t worth it” because of the excessive wait to hear the headline performer. Instead, they might elect to attend Block Party instead. I feel the interests of the administration would have been better served had they adhered more closely to the timeline they established. For instance, had they stated what time the main act would start, the administration would have successfully directed students away from Block Party without straining its trust with the student body.

The “community of trust” University students and faculty revere so much extends further than the honor code. This “trust” implies members of the University will be transparent with one another about everything, even as seemingly mundane as the start time of a University-sanctioned concert.

The consequence of misleading students in this way — whether by intention or not — erodes the trust that binds conflicting factions of the University together.

Thus, many students were more than willing to attend the concert

both because J. Cole is an outstanding artist, but also because they believed the information they received was wholly accurate.

The concert itself was truly a great experience and likely did serve as an effective alternative to engaging in the risks of Block Party, as did the events at the AFC after the concert and Chi Alpha’s “Something in a Mug” event. Yet, I find it difficult to shake the feeling of being misguided, and so do many of my peers. Thus, I urge the administration to try their best to continue to bring in celebrity artists such as J. Cole in the future. At the same time, I would urge them just as much to be sure the information they distribute to students is as accurate as possible, because if it is not, then the erosion of trust between the student body and the administration will cause such concerts to lose their effectiveness.

JESSE BERMAN is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at j.berman@cavalierdaily.com.

EXPERTS ARE EXPERTS FOR A REASON

W

hile the threats facing the United States are clear and present — from climate change endangering our coastline cities to the looming insolvency of Social Security — one recent trend, if continued, could jeopardize our ability to respond to crises: the rise of anti-intellectualism. When journalists are derided as liars, scientists doubted for their conclusions and beliefs viewed as superior to facts, we add a new threat could undermine our political institutions, further divide citizens based on inherent, physical characteristics and leave us as mere followers instead of the “shining city upon a hill” that we’ve demonstrated ourselves to be.

The treatment and respect of experts in this country should be outstanding. Though a healthy skepticism of our leaders is useful, the level of skepticism of political, economic and social leaders has far exceeded that. How might we solve the climate change crisis — of which 97 percent of scientists agree is true and caused by humans — when 46 percent of Americans believe 2015 was the

The growth of anti-intellectualism is toxic to our democracy

hottest year in history because of “natural changes in the Earth’s temperature”? In that same poll, 27 percent responded that reports of a heating climate weren’t accurate. Good luck solving what the Defense Department has called a

to favor one political ideology over another.

It’s a failure of leadership and education at the highest levels.

When schools want to teach creationism as an alternative scientific explanation for evolution, some

A number of fact-checking institutions that have arisen simply can’t keep up with the lies and distortions peddled in the political discourse.”

threat to our national security, not to mention to the continued existence of our fragile environment.

It’s effectively impossible to discuss any plan for solving climate change when scientific leaders still have to debate its very existence.

For some, I’m not even allowed to cite polls — which operate based on the laws of statistics — since many demagogues claim it’s the polls themselves that are skewed

of our leaders just let it happen.

If we teach a rigorously supported scientific conclusion on the equivalent level as a theological explanation in science class, we betray the principles of reason any modern country should strive for.

Personal rejection of evolution is every American’s right — indeed, our founders fought to ensure that right among many others — yet it’s no wonder there is a burgeoning

anti-intellectual strain when the line between facts and beliefs becomes increasingly blurred for our children.

It makes sense then how many Americans can follow demagogues, distrust intellectuals and enact laws designed to solve problems which facts reassure aren’t even there. For instance, there’s been a recent movement of state governments enacting voter identification laws in order to stop “rampant” voter fraud in our elections. In reality, a comprehensive investigation revealed that in the period from 2000 to 2014 there were only 31 fraudulent ballots out of a billion cast. Thus, when opponents point out that these laws severely target racial minorities and limit their ability to vote, supporters retreat behind the provably false voter fraud argument.

A number of fact-checking institutions that have arisen simply can’t keep up with the lies and distortions peddled in the political discourse. Many Americans don’t have the time or inclination to constantly separate what is true from what is mostly true and from

what is severely misleading. When Hillary Clinton contends that FBI Director James Comey called her comments “truthful” — which he didn’t — or Donald Trump claims Mexican immigrants are rapists and “bringing crime” (immigrants have a lower crime rate than natives) — they add fuel to the anti-intellectual and anti-fact fire.

Confronting our problems head-on and making this country a more perfect union starts with a vigorous respect and trust in our experts and intellectuals. Rhetoric that distrusts these leaders in their field such as an unqualified individual claiming to know more about “ISIS than the generals do” threatens to derail the very problems that we seek to solve. Our journalists, doctors, lawyers and scientists have spent years practicing in their fields. It’s time we actually listen to them.

BEN YAHNIAN is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at b.yahnian@cavalierdaily.com.

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CRYING WOLF ABOUT OLYMPICS SEXISM Online critics often inflated the level of misogyny in press coverage of the Rio Games

O

ver the course of the Olympics, there were multiple allegations of sexism with respect to the coverage of female athletes.

Some critics may have a point, but often their claims are blown out of proportion and used to initiate a witch hunt. With a focus on vilifying and labeling those accused as sexist, critics are too often searching for sexism that may not exist rather than highlighting it effectively.

One barrage of criticism I’ve seen as particularly unfair is that of The Chicago Tribune for tweeting, “Wife of a Bears lineman wins a bronze medal today in Rio Olympics,” linking to a (more tastefully titled) article, “Corey Cogdell, wife of Bears lineman Mitch Unrein, wins bronze in Rio.” This tweet clearly should have at least mentioned her name, but it’s also important to consider why the Tribune probably did this. While hardly anyone pays attention to Olympic trap shooting, millions of people care about football. Wording it this way was clearly intended more as a form of clickbait than of diminishing her accomplish-

ment. In fact, as a sport with such little attention, presenting the article this way had a better chance of bringing attention to her sport and her medal than the headline “Corey Cogdell wins bronze in trap shooting” would have.

more media attention, it still makes more sense to focus on Phelps, as he was completing his fifth and final Olympics. In a similar vein, calling the focus on Dana Vollmer’s motherhood sexist is also unfair because it

It is great that social media can get stories out so quickly to a large number of people, but it means nothing if responses to those stories fail to effectively point to the issue at hand.”

The Associated Press similarly faced unreasonable criticism for making its headline about Michael Phelps’ silver medal so much larger than that about Katie Ledecky setting a new world record, despite the fact that Phelps is more of a household name and therefore more likely to get readers to pick up the paper. While you could make the argument Ledecky would become a household name with

is a large part of her journey at this Olympics (she even has embraced an identity as a “Momma on a Mission,” using the hashtag as a catchphrase). NBC’s coverage wasn’t suggesting she wasn’t just as incredible before having her child — its purpose was to highlight the physical feat of medaling in the Olympics only 17 months after bearing a child.

Social media in general has been counterproductive in root-

ing out casual sexism during the Games. NBC commentator Dan Hicks was condemned for calling Katinka Hosszu’s coach and husband, Shane Tusup, “the man responsible” for her success. To be fair to Hicks, there is a specific story to Hosszu’s growth as an athlete that puts the quote in context. After failing to win a medal at the 2012 Olympics, she replaced her former coach with Tusup, whose coaching style and training plan has drawn its own controversy, which has clearly paid off given her three medals at both the 2013 and 2015 World Championships and four medals this Olympics. Still, there undoubtedly was casual sexism at play in that Hicks emphasized Tusup’s role — he could have explained her journey rather than repeatedly focusing on Tusup.

But because so many people denounced him as sexist despite the context, Hicks missed their legitimate critcisms.

It is great that social media can get stories out so quickly to a large number of people, but it means nothing if responses to those stories fail to effectively

point to the issue at hand. Unfairly decrying the press and commentators as sexist in certain cases also prevented coverage of more substantial instances of sexism elsewhere. While it is easier to share a story that automatically denounces someone as sexist instead of acknowledging intentions and context, doing so will never reach the people who need to understand what went wrong the most (people who saw no problem at all with the statement in the moment). This, paired with wrongly ascribing sexism to business decisions, copies sold or (in Vollmer’s case) merely telling an athlete’s story, further muddies the waters as to what is and isn’t worthy of outrage.

ALYSSA IMAM is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily.

She can be reached at a.imam@ cavalierdaily.com.

Want to respond?

submit a letter to the editor at opinion@cavalierdaily.net

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

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Frank Ocean drops intimate new album Long-awaited album shines with collaborations and sophistication DAVID WELLS | STAFF WRITER At the beginning of “Nikes,” the opening track on singer Frank Ocean’s long anticipated second album “Blonde,” you hear the thump of an isolated, moody beat, laying the background for the world’s first glimpse of Ocean in over four years.

After a release process as tumultuous as this album’s, nobody really knew what to expect. The result ended up being otherworldly.

The first vocals are pitch-shifted interpretations of Ocean’s inner consciousness. This gives the impression he is isolated from the world’s reality, but he also loves the small intricacies which make it up.

The idea that Frank Ocean is both human and alien presents itself multiple times throughout the album via the use of pitch adaptation, glorious interludes and well-placed guest spots.

On “Solo (Reprise),” Andre 3000 takes the stage and delivers a verse which sounds like it was rapped on the planet Jupiter, not Earth.

Another modern alien in hip-hop/ R&B employed by Ocean is Beyoncé, though she only delivers a few hums on the song “Pink + White.”

Then there is Kendrick Lamar, who contributes only a few adlibbed bars to the song “Skyline To.” These nuances prove the originality of Ocean’s vision, and just how important each little facet of the album is.

That said, there are still monumental pieces here which bring the lush instrumentation and the poetic musings of “Channel Orange” to a whole new level. One of these is “Seigfried,” an emotional break-up

song complemented by the most gorgeous strings on an Ocean track since “Bad Religion.”

Ocean’s disconnect from the surrounding world is profoundly influenced by his own dealings with heartbreak. This is contrasted by a clear shift in Ocean’s inner being, which has surely undergone a transformation in the last few years.

On one of the standout tracks, “Nights,” Ocean sings, “Want to see Nirvana / but don’t want to die yeah.” There are also multiple references on the album to drugs like marijuana, shrooms and even the South American spirit medicine ayahuasca. It is very much evident that Ocean’s silence these last few years may have included a drug-addled inner quest for his enlightenment as an artist and human.

Ocean uses this as a gateway to comment on the materialism of the Millennial Generation, especially on “Nikes” and the short skits “Be Yourself ” and “Facebook Story.”

As disconnected from the outside world as Ocean is, he can still bring it all together and realize something whole. He exemplifies this on album closer “Futura Free.”

Here Ocean envisions a future in which dollars do not guide behavior, but virtues do. He ruminates humbly on multiple relationships in this track, ending it all with an array of sonic chaos which seems to represent all of the world’s stressors and all of its delights at the same time.

COURTESY BOYS DON’T CRY

Frank Ocean released a new album, “Blond,” recently, in addition to visual album, “Endless.”

Metallica announces new album, streams single Thrash legends return to roots with strongest sound in recent memory MICHAEL CRAWFORD| SENIOR WRITER

COURTESY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

New single predicts return to beloved sound for metal band.

Despite being the most popular metal band in the world, Metallica has been alienating its fans for decades.

After the critically acclaimed “Black

Album” broke into the mainstream in 1991, the band fell into a controversial decline with the streamlined “Load” and “Reload” and the abys-

mally produced “St. Anger.”

2008’s “Death Magnetic” promised a return to form, but the brickwalled production and bloated song lengths kept the renewed thrash metal from reaching the peaks of classics like “Ride the Lightning” and “Master of Puppets.”

With all this in mind, it’s easy to enter Metallica’s newly announced “Hardwired...To Self-Destruct” with an air of apprehension. Twelve tracks stretched across 80 minutes, the dreadful album artwork and track titles like “ManUNkind” all signal the same pitfalls the band has been stuck in for decades. What’s shocking is that the lead single, “Hardwired,” is

actually really good.

Sure, it’s a simple track — it’s only three minutes long, and it revolves around a single riff with a trademark Hammett solo thrown in. This simplicity, however, is exactly the appeal. It’s a throwback to the origins of thrash metal, when “Reign in Blood” could have almost exclusively two-minute tracks.

James Hetfield clearly emulates Tom Araya’s “I’m-pissed-so-spit-outwords-as-fast-as-possible” style in the verses, and this short-and-sweet intensity gives the track all the edge it needs.

The only glaring flaws are the clicky kick drum sounds — a shame,

since the rest of the production is so strong — and the terrible lyrics.

“We’re so f----d / S--- outta luck” sounds pretty juvenile coming from one of the most successful bands in the world. It comes off as trying to sound like an angry thrash band, instead of sounding genuine.

This single still leaves us with a worrisome 11 tracks across 77 minutes on the album, so it’s unlikely “Hardwired…” will play off of the same strengths as this single. However, knowing that the band hasn’t sounded this good in years, at least we can move into the new album with cautious optimism.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

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How young people lose their memories Despite public perception, college students experience short- and long-term memory loss RUHEE SHAH | SENIOR WRITER In March, the National Football League acknowledged for the first time the link between head injuries sustained while playing football and the development of chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

CTE is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that results in the gradual deterioration of the brain and is associated with memory loss, confusion, impaired judgement, aggression, depression and dementia. The disease is thought to be caused by repeated concussions and injuries to the brain.

Concussions Many children grow up playing sports and often have suffered a concussion or two because of it.

During a concussion, the brain is jolted very suddenly, and the force causes the release of many ions and salts, creating a toxic environment in the brain.

Dr. Kristen Heinan, pediatric neurologist and assistant professor of neurology, explained these effects on the brain. “[It’s like if] you take a bottle of

rainbow sprinkles, you open it up and you throw it all over the room and then you say, ‘Okay, now put all the sprinkles back in the bottle,’” Heinan said. “So that’s kind of what the brain cells have to do after concussion. They’re all discombobulated, they can’t talk to each other [and] they can’t function.”

During recovery from concussion, individuals typically have trouble with long-term memory but usually recover completely, according to Dr. Donna Broshek, professor of psychiatry and neurobehavioral sciences. However, with more severe brain injuries, it is more likely that the individual will have persisting problems with long-term memory.

Despite this, Heinan cautioned against being too quick to make causative statements about football injuries and CTE, pointing out that though there is a link between CTE and concussions, detangling correlation and causation could be tricky, given that the data had been

a little skewed. Healthy players had no reason to have their brains biopsied, so there wasn’t a good control group, she said.

“I would frankly be more worried about [drugs and alcohol] than the concussions, because you’re putting yourself at risk for the neurotoxicity of the chemicals,” Heinan said. “You’re also putting yourself at risk if you’re altered of getting another injury.”

I would be much more concerned about substance abuse and brain injury than I would playing a game of soccer.”

Substance abuse A study by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism found that in a survey of about 800 college students, 51 percent of college students that had ever consumed alcohol had experienced a blackout at least once.

Dr. Christopher Holstege, executive director of Elson Student Health Center, defined a blackout as full permanent loss of memory for interim events beginning and

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ending at definitive points.

According to Holstege, a rapid increase in blood alcohol concentration is most consistently associated with alcohol-induced blackouts. Therefore, drinking quickly, drinking on an empty stomach and drinking hard liquor increase the risk for blackouts.

“Not all subjects who drink rapidly and excessively experience blackouts,” Holstege said. “There is individual variability, most likely due in large part to genetics, in how each person will react to alcohols and substances of abuse. Such variability is hard to predict.”

While a person can actively engage in behaviors like walking and talking while experiencing a blackout, they cannot create any new memories. Someone experiencing a blackout can recall memories formed prior to intoxication, and short-term memory is partially intact as well, so someone undergoing a blackout is able to hold a normal conversation. Because of the nature of blackouts, it can be

difficult to tell one is in the middle of one.

Fatigue and stress While substance abuse and physical brain injuries are wellknown causes of memory loss, stress and lack of sleep can also disrupt memory.

Stress leads to inattention and lack of focus that results in poor encoding of memory, according to Broshek.

“Slowing down, paying attention and being mindful are important to optimizing attention and getting information into long term memory,” Broshek said.

Sleep is also important for memory consolidation, so disruptions in sleep, or not sleeping enough, can lead to difficulty with memory, according to Heinan.

“If you’re really tired, there have been studies looking at fatigue versus alcohol, and they’re just as bad,” Heinan said. “Sometimes, lack of sleep is worse.”

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